[DreamDetective]

My youngest daughter is 8 years old and the main reason I joined this forum. She is having several issues and my husband and I are struggling to find ways to help her.

She started therapy last November for anxiety (and other troubling behaviors) and we suspect that someone has harmed her in some way (although we desperately hope we are wrong).

Her therapist (a licensed clinical social worker) commented that our daughter dissociates at times. An example would be - this past summer my FIL and husband were engaged in an argument. They rarely argue and we wonder if FIL had been drinking as it was extreme. FIL started yelling and cursing at my husband and the children were right there. A few hours later, I wanted to talk to the girls and make sure they were okay. One daughter spoke about it and had questions, but our youngest said she didn't remember the incident at all. We were stunned and told her she had to remember it, it just happened and she was right there. She kept insisting that she wasn't there when it happened, but had nightmares for a week that my FIL was coming to kill us all.

Also, during therapy, she can't remember much of what they talk about. She says that after they say hello to each other, everything becomes a big blur until the end.

During therapy, she told her therapist that she hears voices. She couldn't really determine if they were in her head or outside of her head. She drew a picture of what appears to be an 8 year old boy with orange hair, a red shirt and yellow pants. She drew him as a very big person and herself as a tiny person standing in front of him. She told me that the boy's name was God and he shows up in her head when she's scared. God comforts her and takes the bad dreams and memories away so she doesn't have to remember them.

I wasn't sure what to say, but I told her that I was glad God was there to help her by doing that for her. She was worried (and a bit scared) of why he shows up - she feels something is wrong with her. She said she doesn't call him to show up, he just appears on his own. I told her that it was okay for him to show up and help her and for her to talk to him. I also told her that I was grateful to God for helping her during difficult times.

Our therapist doesn't think there's anything significant about God being in her head at times. I plan to ask our psychiatrist but we won't have an appointment with him (our first for this daughter) for another two weeks.

I realize that nobody here can diagnose on the internet, but does this sound like something I should mention to our psychiatrist or am I way off base in my concern? He's $200 an hour and I want to choose topics carefully and already have a lot to discuss.

[Travelinglady]

Yes, I would mention it. I dissociate at times when I am in a stressful situation, so it doesn't have to mean a person has DD. I am bipolar (manic-depressive). It's a matter of degree. Folks with DD dissociate to the point where they have different personalities that come out at different times, multiple-personality disorder. Does your daughter seem to dissociate to that degree?

[DreamDetective]

Thank you for replying. I'm not sure how to answer your question. After starting therapy last November (you replied to me there as well ), she experienced extreme regression. She began baby-talking, lost academic progress (we home school), started cuddling with stuffed animals again, became clingy and having toileting accidents. Some days she baby talks and schoolwork is difficult - it's math where we see the most loss of skills one day but is back a few days later and then gone again.

The little boy she sees in her mind, God, is not someone she becomes. He is someone who shows up without her consciously seeking him. He comforts her and takes away her bad dreams and memories. She genuinely does not remember some things that I would expect her to remember.

[amandalouise]

Originally Posted by DreamDetective

My youngest daughter is 8 years old and the main reason I joined this forum. She is having several issues and my husband and I are struggling to find ways to help her.

She started therapy last November for anxiety (and other troubling behaviors) and we suspect that someone has harmed her in some way (although we desperately hope we are wrong).

Her therapist (a licensed clinical social worker) commented that our daughter dissociates at times. An example would be - this past summer my FIL and husband were engaged in an argument. They rarely argue and we wonder if FIL had been drinking as it was extreme. FIL started yelling and cursing at my husband and the children were right there. A few hours later, I wanted to talk to the girls and make sure they were okay. One daughter spoke about it and had questions, but our youngest said she didn't remember the incident at all. We were stunned and told her she had to remember it, it just happened and she was right there. She kept insisting that she wasn't there when it happened, but had nightmares for a week that my FIL was coming to kill us all.

Also, during therapy, she can't remember much of what they talk about. She says that after they say hello to each other, everything becomes a big blur until the end.

During therapy, she told her therapist that she hears voices. She couldn't really determine if they were in her head or outside of her head. She drew a picture of what appears to be an 8 year old boy with orange hair, a red shirt and yellow pants. She drew him as a very big person and herself as a tiny person standing in front of him. She told me that the boy's name was God and he shows up in her head when she's scared. God comforts her and takes the bad dreams and memories away so she doesn't have to remember them.

I wasn't sure what to say, but I told her that I was glad God was there to help her by doing that for her. She was worried (and a bit scared) of why he shows up - she feels something is wrong with her. She said she doesn't call him to show up, he just appears on his own. I told her that it was okay for him to show up and help her and for her to talk to him. I also told her that I was grateful to God for helping her during difficult times.

Our therapist doesn't think there's anything significant about God being in her head at times. I plan to ask our psychiatrist but we won't have an appointment with him (our first for this daughter) for another two weeks.

I realize that nobody here can diagnose on the internet, but does this sound like something I should mention to our psychiatrist or am I way off base in my concern? He's $200 an hour and I want to choose topics carefully and already have a lot to discuss.

you are right we cant diagnose your daughter just based on what you have wrote. if we did so it could possibly do more harm than good..

the symptoms you wrote about could be anything or nothing at all..

example if you googled hearing voices (symptom she has already talked with her therapist about according to your post) could be over 43,400,000 reasons..on this my suggestion is go according to what ever her therapist says it is, her therapist is the person that this girl is in treatment with.

the symptom hearing God in her head again this could be just about anything... I know many people who feel God is in their hearts or their heads and live accordingly to what God tells them to do.. some of these people have the mental disorder Schizophrenia and some are completely normal. it all depends on other accompanying symptoms. What I can tell you is that none of the diagnostics for any of the dissociative disorders say anything about having higher powers such as God in your head or hearts.

telling the treatment providers or not about your daughter finding God, well as her parent only you can decide whether this is something you need to discuss with her treatment providers.. from your post you stated you and the therapist did talk about this and the therapist thinks theres nothing significant about it.. that says to me the therapist does not believe your daughter finding God and drawing her own representation of him isnt any mental disorder or mental disorder symptom.

for any "deeper" conversations about your daughter finding her higher power and drawing him this site does have a spiritual forum

http://forums.psychcentral.com/forumdisplay.php?f=38

but the mention of any specific religion or specific higher power is not allowed, from reading posts I get the idea it used to be but it caused a lot of problems so its no longer allowed.

there are social groups that you can join where some people have started social groups on specific religions. you might try there too..to find the social groups click on ...quick links...above in the tool bar.

Im sorry I cant be more help. here on psych central we dont tell each other what to do, all we can really do is read/share what we go through and let each other know they are not alone, and tell what we would do/have done to fix the problems if we have had those problems too. We basically leave it up to the posters to do what they think is best for their own problems. that way we are not counter acting anyones own treatment providers advice, treatment plans and such which could cause more harm then good.

[MomgaJupiter]

Her therapist should give you advice on what to share with the pdoc. If it were me I would share with him about the dissociation and about God. 8 is not too young to still have an "imaginary friend" but it is getting close. It is something to watch.

[amandalouise]

Originally Posted by MomgaJupiter

Her therapist should give you advice on what to share with the pdoc. If it were me I would share with him about the dissociation and about God. 8 is not too young to still have an "imaginary friend" but it is getting close. It is something to watch.

just a thought on your idea of when someone is too old for imaginary friends.. completely normal adults do have imaginary friends.. some of the most amazing inventions have come out of people holding what if conversations with their self and their imaginary friends.

I still have an imaginary friend I talk to, I know the difference between having a hallucination and having an imaginary friend. I have experienced both. my imaginary friend is someone that comes to me when ever I need to talk to someone and my wife and therapist are busy.

My therapist has an imaginary friend she talks to sometimes. he friend has been with her since she was 4 yrs old and they grew up together.

I know many other adults who have imaginary friends to bounce ideas off of, talk to in times of stress and upheaval of life.

what is an imaginary friend...well some people their imaginary friend is their higher power, for others its their deceased someone, for others its their own image, for others its an animal, plant, or other person creation...

in my culture there are bears, wolves, birds, and other visionary/ imaginary friends that lead the person on vision quests and help guide them through their life.

my point is your belief and culture may say theres some age limit on how long or when its appropriate to have an imaginary friend but not all people and cultures do.

this may or may not be getting to the point of being too old for this child in question to have an invisible friend. only the child, the childs parent and the childs treatment providers can say when this child is too old to have this person she has named God be her invisable friend.